


A light at the end of the tunnel

by Chireusette



Category: Queer as Folk (US)
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-06
Updated: 2015-09-06
Packaged: 2018-04-19 09:20:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4741100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chireusette/pseuds/Chireusette
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A friend on Tumblr sent me a prompt with the words “Don’t listen to them. Don’t you EVER listen to them” and the character Debbie. I chose Ted to interact with her and it takes place shortly after he finished rehab (season 4).<br/>Enjoy :)</p>
            </blockquote>





	A light at the end of the tunnel

Ted was walking down the street, his head bent and his fists clenched in his pockets, his brain full of the events from the past hour. “ _We're looking for someone more reliable”_ , they said. “ _We need to be sure that we can trust you”_ , they went on. Well, not giving that person a shot certainly doesn't help. Not giving them any credit for trying to turn their life around and repair their mistakes does not help rebuilding their self-confidence either. The interview he just had with the accounting manager from this little store didn't go well. It was the third one this week. Always the same excuse: Ted's credentials didn't matter in the face of his troubled past. Having been through rehab clearly overshadowed any of his accomplishments in the past. How can a junkie be trusted, right? Who in their right mind would hire a crack-head? These people, by thinking they're covering their asses, didn't realize they were actually pushing Ted back into the darkness. Every interview that went wrong made him want to use again to forget his sense of uselessness and dull this feeling of rejection. How could he possibly think about a brighter future if no one wants to give him a chance? Sure, he knew that making everything right would take a long time and he would have to struggle, but he didn't expect the constant refusals to hit him this hard. But then again, he has always been a softie at heart, using sarcasm and humor to cover his inner fragility.

 

So, it was in the middle of this internal crisis that he entered the Liberty Diner. He sat at the bar, put his folded hands on the counter and exhaled sharply, his eyes closed. He didn't even notice when, a few seconds later, Debbie came to stand in front of him, offering him a cup of warm coffee.

 

“What's going on, honey? Something's clearly bothering you.”

 

Ted finally lifted his head to look at her. She had a small smile and her face reflected both an expression of worry as well as wanting to be reassuring. He let down his gaze again, slightly shaking his head.

 

“I... I don't want to bother you.”

 

“Bother me? Don't be ridiculous. Since when have I ever been bothered by other people's troubles?”

 

He chuckled a bit at her response.

 

“Well, when I came here after I got out of rehab, no one particularly felt like being in the same room and listening to me, so...”

 

“Oh, honey...”, she said softly placing a hand on his arm, “I'm really sorry about that. It's not that I wanted to avoid you, I swear, but the Diner was really busy and you know how the customers are when they don’t get their meat fast enough.” She smiled at him, looking clearly apologetic, and Ted placed his hand on hers, squeezing her fingers.

 

“I know... I didn't mean to sound accusing. It's just... I've had a really hard week.”

 

“Okay, then tell me about it. You know, I love you like a son. I love all of you. And you can always come to me if you're ever in need to talk.”

 

Ted, moved by her words, gave her a small grin. She was, indeed, kind of the mother hen of their group. Always feeding and consoling everyone. He exhaled slowly again, and agreed to tell her.

 

“Okay.”

 

Debbie leaned back a little, grabbed a stool and took a seat, prepared to listen to his story.

 

“So, for the past week, I've been looking for a job. It's one of the first things you need to do when you get out because it's a very important step in order to get your life together.”

 

She nodded, listening intently.

 

“I've had three interviews so far, all of them for small accounting jobs that I could basically do in my sleep, and let's just say none of them went very well...”

 

“Let me guess”, she said, chewing her gum, “They were jerks, huh?”

 

Ted snickered. “Yeah, that for sure they were.”

 

She went on: “I imagine they completely dismissed your resume and simply told you that you weren't right for the job?”

 

“Well, it's more than that, actually. They didn't even bother to try and be subtle, they just came right out and told me that I can't be trusted.”

 

She gasped loudly, exasperated. “Can't be trusted, my ass! Do they not recognize the strenght people like you have for going through rehab and coming out the other end still whole?”

 

Ted opened his hands, showing her he didn't know the answer. “Apparently not. The guy from this morning told me that my past as a drug user clearly showed that I wasn't a reliable person. And after hearing the same tune over and over again, I'm starting to think they might be right...”

 

To this, Debbie slammed her fist against the table before pointing her finger at Ted.

 

“Don't listen to them. Don't you EVER listen to them, you hear me?” Her stare was full of anger and determination. The kind of stare that could smite anyone in place if you ever dared to cross her. “These people are just plain ignorant. And you absolutely should  _not_  let them get to you.” She relaxed a bit, softening her gaze. Ted, who was terrified at first at her reaction, let her words sink in. He had straightened his back against the chair and remained motionless, letting her continue. “Ted, you are a good man. You just went through a hard time. You reached the bottom but you managed to rebuild yourself because you knew you were better than that.” His eyes were starting to water, and he just looked at her, speechless. “Trust me, sweetheart, you're not damaged forever and things  _will_  get better. But only if you persist and don't let other people drag you down.” She was smiling now, the kind of magical healing smiles that she particularly knows how to give. He was still taken aback by her words, which touched his very soul.

 

“I... Okay. Sorry, I will never listen to them again.”

 

Debbie nodded firmly. “Good. Now, I'm gonna tell you what you're gonna do now.”

 

He loosened his muscles at last, and put his hands back on the table. “What's that?”

 

She pushed the cup of coffee closer to him. “You're gonna drink your coffee, shut up and relax while I tell you all about the latest gossip to clear your mind of this nonsense.”

 

He chuckled, actually amused at the idea, and it felt great. For the first time since the past few days, he could see a light at the end of the tunnel. And that was because of Debbie and her frighteningly encouraging words.

 

He gave her a warm, grateful smile. “Thank you, Debbie.”

 

She winked in response. “You're welcome, honey.”

 

Then he took a sip of his coffee and waited for the gossips in question to begin.

 

“So, Kiki was out the other night, and she met this guy...”


End file.
